Daily Bible Reading Plans

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Recognizing the value of consistent reflection upon the Word of God in order to refocus one’s mind and heart upon Christ and His Gospel of peace, we provide several reading plans designed to cover the entire Bible in a year.

Chuck Smith :: Sermon Notes for Revelation 17:14

A. In the book of Daniel he tells of a vision that he had of empires that would rule over the earth.

1. The first was like a lion, which represented the Babylonian empire.

2. It was destroyed by a bear, which represented the Medo-persian empire.

3. This was in turn destroyed by the leopard, which represented the Grecian empire.

4. This in turn was crushed by an indescribable beast which was dreadful, awesome, and exceedingly strong.

5. Out of this fourth beast there came ten horns, then there arose an eleventh horn that destroyed three of the ten horns.

a. This fifth beast represents the revived Roman empire, made up of a confederacy of ten major nations that were once a part of the Roman Empire, a sort of United States of Europe, or a European community.

b. The eleventh horn is the leader that shall arise to lead this confederacy into a world dominating force.

c. All of the powers of darkness will be given to this man. He will exercise such supernatural powers that the whole world will wonder after him and they will be saying:

REV 13:4 "Who [is] like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

6. John wrote that the spirit of the anti-christ was already at work in the world. As we see how wise the powers have been, we are prone to ask the question, "Who is able to make war with them?"

a. We see how the powers of darkness control the music industry.

1. We hear the filthy messages that they are feeding our youth, encouraging incest, rape, and suicide and we feel powerless to stop it?

2. We realize how horribly twisted the news media is today, not really reporting the news, but just a great propaganda machine for the liberal forces, as they dupe the ignorant masses. Why did we hear so much about Kosovo, and nothing about the Sudan?

3. We see our liberal legislators as they are promoting the homosexual causes, and we wonder how can we possibly stop them?

4. We see how the schools are teaching the godless evolutionary theories as scientific fact, and are turning our children into atheists, but who can make war with the National Teachers Association.

5. We see how the atheistic A.C.L.U. is taking advantage of the liberal courts to destroy the morals of our nation, and promote every immoral cause in the name of liberty, and freedom. How can you overturn the liberal judicial system?

6. We are so overexposed to sex that we are becoming a nation of perverts. But how can you stop it?

B. In this chapter we see how all of these godless forces led by the most blasphemous man the world has ever seen, who however is loved and worshipped by the people.

1. We see the leaders of the world giving their powers to him, as he gathers the world to a final assault against Jesus Christ.

2. We are told that they gather to make war with the Lamb.

II. "THE LAMB SHALL OVERCOME THEM."

A. The final victory belongs to the Lamb.

1. John wrote: "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world."

2. Jesus said to His disciples, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

3. When Ben Hadad the king of Syria had sent his troops to capture the prophet Elisha who was in Dothan, when the servant of the prophet went out in the morning to cut wood and saw the city surrounded by the Syrian army, he rushed in and woke the sleeping prophet who responded, "Fear not, there are more that by with us, than are with them." He then asked the Lord to open the eyes of the servant who then saw the Syrian army surrounded by angels.

4. When Peter drew his sword in the garden to defend Jesus from arrest, Jesus commanded him to put his sword away, He said, "Do you not know that I could call twelve legions of angels to deliver Me?"

a. A Roman legion comprised about 4,000 men.

b. 12 legions of angels would comprise maybe about 48,000.

c. When you consider that in 2 Kings 19 we are told that in one night the angel of the Lord destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, I would imagine that 12 legions of angels would have been sufficient to deliver Jesus.

B. We are told that the Lamb is the King of kings, and the Lord of lords.

1. The psalmist said,

PSA 103:19 The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

2. Nebuchadnezzer who was the first truly world ruler and had greater authority than any person since, had an encounter in which he defied God, and after he came to his senses declared:

Dan 4:34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I bless the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever whose dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom [is] from generation to generation:

Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth [are] reputed as nothing: an he does according to his will in the army of heaven, and [among] the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

C. How is it do you suppose that the Beast and his followers will be so foolish as to make war with the Lamb?

1. Maybe some of you here this morning could best answer that question for us today, for some of you are at war with the Lamb.

2. You like Nebuchadnezzer are defying God.

3. You have chosen to side with the world, because it looks like they are winning.

a. It just seems easier to go with the flow, than to try to resist it.

b. Paul wrote to the Ephesian christians and reminded them that at one time they were walking according to the course of this world that was being directed by the devil, as they were living after the flesh and fulfilling the desires of the flesh and were by nature the children of wrath even as others.

c. That describes how some of you are living today. You are rebelling against God, you are at war with the Lamb.

4. You need to know that though the wrong seems so strong, God is the ruler yet, and the ultimate victory belongs to the Lord for He is the King of kings, and the Lord of lords.

5. You have been fighting against the prompting of the Holy Spirit to surrender your life to Jesus Christ. To give up the life of the flesh and to recommit yourself to serve the Lord of lords. Each time the invitation is given, you find yourself in a battle of your flesh against the Spirit.

6. I am reminded of the story of Napoleon, when his army was fighting a crucial battle in which he lost a great number of his troops. As he was sitting in his tent dejected, a courier came in and said, "Cheer up sire, your forces have just won the battle," to which he replied, "One more such victory will cost me my kingdom."

7. It may appear that the world is winning the battle, but the ultimate victory belongs to the Lamb, for He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

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